Here in Australia, a simple sunburn is often the least of our worries. Australia's long hours mean we record some of the highest numbers of melanoma cases in the world, which makes it the fourth most prevalent cancer in this country. Thus it's fitting that an Australian team are part of a new study that has successfully identified four key genetic markers that increase the likelihood of developing the skin cancer responsible for over 1000 deaths a year.
The study was conducted by a team from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, along with a group from the University of Leeds, whose task basically involved surveying 2168 Australians of European descent (for melanoma is far more prevalent in this ethnic group than any other), and then sorting through half a million genetic markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs. These SNPs flag a difference in a single nucleotide of DNA, and can also alter the function of certain strands of DNA, hence their importance in a lot of disease research.
Lead scientist in the Australian study mentioned that crunching through that many pieces of very specific genetic material came with its own share of problems. About half a million SNPs are being looked at, since many things are being tested thus there are lots of SNPs look significant by chance."
The other research group also found an SNP that may be part of a genetic string the body uses to repair damaged. DNA. Given that melanomas often stem from damaged genetic code and tissue corruption, genes like these may be crucial in working out how to fight cancerous growths like melanomas.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/10/10/3334971.htm
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